Improvement in damper-regulators



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. WILLIAM NOYES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DAMPEPt-REGU LATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,429, dated December 13, 1864; antedated December 1, 1864. O

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM Novas, of the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful mode of making piston damper-regulators, for the purpose of saving the fuel used in the furnace under steamboilers, by controlling and regulating the draft in the Hue or chimney, or by operating upon the damper in the blowerue, or by shipping and unshipping the belt of the blower, or by opening and closing the ash-pit door, as the case may require, of which the following is a specification.

I am aware that piston damper-regulators using the solid piston were made many years since, and were found objectionable 011 account ot' the unavoidable friction attending their operation. I am also aware that the well-known leather cup'piston with a brass cylinder has been used and found objectionable for several reasons: First, the leather cup requires frequent oiling, which after a while gums up the leather and cylinder; second, the leather cup will be ruined by letting the steam or even hot water upon it when first letting the pressure in the boiler to the regulator; and, third, the cylinder, being of brass, will soon corrode, which will, together with the gumming of the leather cup, cause so much friction that it is but little, itl of any, improvement over the solid piston.

l have endeavored to overcome all the above objections, and, in my estimation have invented many other valuable improvements in the piston damper-regulator, which I have satisfactorily proved by about tifteen months7 working of some of my machines.

It will be plainly seen that my elastic vulcanizedrubber packing-ring combines many valuable and indispensable qualities: First, being ot' an elastic nature, it is rendered selfpacking and seltconforming, and can be arranged so as to pack either loose or tight; second, it being vulcanized, it will allow the steam itself' being let into the steam-pipe, and so on to the piston, without injury to the packing, as it will condense soon enough in the Siphon to prevent any injury; and, third, it never requires any oil, but works better on water, (which is always upon it,) tha-n with any other lubricator.

l overcome the objcction of corrosion on the cylinder by lining it with anti-friction and anti-corrosive metal, which, together with the various points claimed, will show that I have a simple, durable, and new Inode, as l claim, of making piston damper-regulators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and accurate description thereof, reference heilig had to the accompanymg drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Letter Ain the sectional drawings, Figure 2, represents the cylinder having a hole in the center of the top large enough to admit of the travel of the piston or fulcrum-pin J to pass through it without touching the sides; also, 1t has a pair of lugs or ears, U, on the top, and a flange on the bottom, for the purpose of allowing bolts to pass through it in order to secure it to the bed-plate C.

Letter B represents the lining or inner sur` face of the cylinder A, which I make of Phoenix metal, Babbitt metal, or their equivalents, on account ot1 their anti-friction and anticor` rosive nature.

Letter C represents the bed-plate, to which the cylinder A is bolted, with a gasket, R, between, which forms the steam-joint. It also' has a hole near where the cylinder A rests, which receives the standard F', and holes in its extreme ends, in order to secure it firmly when at its place of working.

Letter D represents the lever, with a V or triangular steel pin, N, in the large end, for the purpose of supporting the lever when resting on the fulcrum-pin J lt also has a hole at its small end, to receive the rod which connects it to the damperlever.

Letter E represents the adjustable weight, having a slot of sufiicient width to receive the lever l) with ease. It also has a lug or ear, in which is a screw, to secure it at any desired point upon the lever D.

Letter F represents the standard through which the lever D travels, and is secured to the bed-plate C by a nut from the under side,

and has the lever set-screw L on it.

Letter G represents the elastic iiexible ring, which I make of vulcanized india-rubber, gutta-percha, or their equivalents. I use it from one-eighth to one quarter of an inch in thickness and from one to one and a halt inches wide, but do not confine myself to any particular thickness or Width. I make it about the sanne diameter as the piston H, but do not confine myself to anydetinite diameter, and. then draw it out over-the piston-ring I about three-eighths or a halt' of an inch, or to y such an extent as will just form a tight joint or pack itself against the lining-surface B on the cylinder A, and at the same time not so tight as to cause any objectionable friction as the piston H moves up and down. packing-ring C is drawn out too far, being oi' an elastic nature, the diameter of its edge will be lessened, so that it will not make a tight joint on the cylinder-lining B, and would cause it toleak to such an extent as to render it objectionable; but in the manner which I have described and which I use the piston is selfv packing with the aid of the packing or elastic ring C andthe piston-ring I, and any body ot` water poured into the top of the cylinder A without any pressure on the bottom of the p'ston H would immediately escape between the elastic packing-ring C and the cylinderlining B, but with a pressure on the bottom of the piston H to any extent which any steamboiler will stand it is self-packing and almost frictionless, so much so that the regulator when in operation will show the least possible variation of pressure in the boiler, and is as sensitive as the best steam-pressure gage.

Letter H represents the piston, being of A a semi-spherical shape. The inner or lower side I make on an angle ot' about forty degrees, but do not confine myself to any particular angle, the diameter being about one-eighth of au inch less than that of the cylinder-lining B. It has a tapering` hole in its top to receive the piston or fulcrum-pin J, and screw-holes on the inner or lower side, running only part A the piston-ring I and the cylinder-lining B, as

it is required not only to secure the elastic packing-ring C to the piston H, but also to keep and hold the elastic ring C to its proper place. Care must be taken not to make the piston-ring too large so as to bind against the elastic ring C, as it would press it unduly against the cylinder-lining B and cause objectionable friction, thereby seriously interfering with the easy and sensitive working of the machine. lt is securely bolted, or, rather, screwed, to the piston H, firmly securing the elastic packing-ring C in between the two.

LetterJ represents the fulcrum or pistonpin, being made of steel and of suiiicientlyless in diameter than the hole in the top of the cyli nder A, through which it passes, to allow ot' its free travel up and down without comingin contact withithe sides otthe hole, as that would cause unnecessary friction. I avoid the necessity of making a close tit of the pin J in the hole of the cylinder A (in order to make the piston H travel steady up and down and prevent its vibrating) by fitting the lower end of the pin J in the tapering hole in the top or center of the piston H so nicely (the hole being about two inches in depth and a perfect taper, the pin resting on the bottom of the hole, as well as on the sides, can easily be taken out for the purpose of taking the machine apartand putting it together, for which purpose it is made separate from. the piston H) that for the purpose required it is equivalent to the two parts being made solid, and answers the purpose perfectly of keeping the piston H from traveling out of line, so as to dsarrange the elastic packing-ring G and cause a leak or allowing it to vibrate in theleast. In fact, it travels, when arranged as described, as true. and accurate as a solid piston. The top part of the pin J is made ot' a wedge-shape, and the center part,whentllefulcrurn Krests upon it, is brought to a nice bearing-edge,and upon each side of the bearing edge it has a point or ear running u p each side of the fulcrum K on the lever D sutlcicntly high, in combination with the angular notches u u, the lever-pin N, the fulcrum K,and the set-screw L to prevent the pin J from getting out of its place to either side in case the lever D should be raised by hand when there is no pressure under the piston H, and, as a matter of course, the piston and piston-pin would n otfollow up the lever D, and Without the ears or points would be liable to let the fulcrum K be disarranged as the lever D was being let down.

Letter K represents the fulcrum on the lever D, being made of suliicient depth in the lever D to prevent the piston or fulcrum-pin J from getting out of its place by moving it either backward or forward when the. lever D is raised by hand, and there is no pressure under the pistou H to make the pin J follow up the fulcrurn. I also make the fulcrum-notch in the lever D sufficiently angular or inverted-V shape to allow the lever l) to travel up and down Without letting the angle sides of the top part of the piston-pin J touch the angular sides of the fulcrum-notch, allowing the fulcrum-pin J never to touch the fulcrum-notch, except at the top and proper bearing-point when the machine is at Work.

Letter L represents the lever set-screw, be ing placed on the top of the standard F. It has ajam-nut, to hold it secure at any point you may wish to set it. The object of the setscrew L in combination with the angular notches U U in the lugs or cylinderears O O, and the deep angular notch in the leverfulcrurn K, together with the points or ears on the top of the pistonpin J, is to prevent the lever D from being disarranged on its several bearing -points (when there is no pressure in the boiler) by its being moved up and down by inexperienced hands, as the piston H would not follow the lever l) up the notches U U, which notches are of sufficient same as if there were pressure under it. i depth in the lugs or ears O on the cylinder LetterNrepresents the lever, triangular, or A, in combination with the set-screw L on the inverted V steel pin, which passes through standard F, the points or ears on the pistonthe large end of thelever D and rests or bears pin J, and the deep angular notch in the fulon the angular notchor inverted V in the 1 crum K, to prevent the lever-pin N from getears or lugs of the cylinder A. ting out of the notches U U in the lugs O in Letter represents the ears or lugs on the case the lever D should be raised up by hand cylinder A, being for the purpose of receivwhen there was no pressure in the boiler.

ing and sustaining the pressure of the lever- 1' I have thus described the dii'erent parts of pin N. the regulator as I make them and their utility,

Letter It represents the gasket, used in bel and would say that I have used the cylinder tween the cylinder A and bed-plate C. 1 A Without the metallic anti-friction lining,

Letter S represents the steam-pipe leading substituting an enameled surfaeein its place; from the boiler to the regulator, being in the i but, owing to the difficulty of getting it put form of a siphon, in order to keep water inon and its liability7 to cleaving ott' by sudden.

stead ot' steam on the machine. expansion and contraction, together with its Letters T T T represent the piston-rests, I oxidizing causing friction, I prefer using the being legs cast upon the lower side of the pisi anti-friction,anti-corrosivemetal,asleseribed. ton-ring l and resting or standing upon the What I claim as my invention, and desire top ofthe bed-plate G when there is no pressto secure by Letters Patent, 'isure upon the lower side of the piston H, or i l. The combination and arrangement ofthe when there is no pressure in the boiler, the semi-spherical piston H, the piston ring I, the object of the piston-rests or legs being to prepiston-rests T '1 T, the tapering hole in the top vent the piston H from falling low enough to l of the piston H, combined with the anti-fricalloW the elastic packing-ring G to rest upon tion, anti-corrosive metallic cylinder-lining B, or touch the bed-plate (l, as without the rests the elastic packing-ring G, and the fulcrumorlegs T TT the elastic packing-ring G would, pin J, or their equivalents, for the purposes by the weight of thepiston H pressingit down set forth and herein described. on the bed-plate C, be entirely destroyed of 2. The combination and arrangement of the its utility when there was not suicient pressi angular notches U U in the cylinder-ears O O, ure on the bottom ot' the piston H to prevent l the points or ears on the fulcrum-pin J, coinit from touching or resting 011 the bed-plate G. bined with the lever-piu N, the deep angular Letters U U represent the angular notches notch in the fulerum K, and the set-screw L, in the lugs or cylinder-ears 0, in which are or their equivalents, for the purposes set forth the bearings for the lever-pin N'. The angles y and herein described. of the notches being greater than the angles Y ofthe lever-phi N, allows the lever D to make WILLIAM NOYES' its full travel up and down without permit- Witnesses:

ting the angular sides of the lever-pin N to J AMES F. BRADFORD, i touch or bear upon the angular sides of the N. (l. P. SPRAGUE. 

